Recently, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, unveiled the key flagship initiatives for the India-AI Impact Summit 2026, being hosted for the first time by a global south nation.

• It will be guided by 3 sutras – People, Planet and Progress and discussions will be centered around 7 thematic Chakras - Human Capital, Inclusion, Safe & Trusted AI, Resilience, Science, Democratizing AI Resources, and Social Good.
• Flagship initiatives:
  • AI Pitch Fest (UDAAN) to showcase innovative AI startups.
  • Global innovation challenges for youth, women, and other participants to foster AI-driven innovations.
  • Research symposium to forge international AI collaborations.

DeepSeek-R1 shows that reasoning in Large Language Models can be incentivized through reinforcement learning.

About Reinforcement Learning (RL)

• It is a machine learning process that focuses on decision making by autonomous agents (any system that can make decisions and act in response to its environment like robots and self-driving cars). 
• It operates on a trial-and-error basis in the absence of any guidance from a human user.
  • The agent takes an action, receives a reward or penalty, and uses this feedback to adjust its future actions to maximize its cumulative reward.
• Key Components: It involves an Agent (the learner), the Environment (the context it operates in), and a Reward Signal (the feedback).

Led by Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) in collaboration with Cochin Shipyard Ltd. (CSL), Project Swayat aims to develop the country’s first indigenous autonomous vessel (MASS).

About MASS

• MASS is Ship which, to a varying degree, can operate independently of human interaction. 
• IMO categorises MASS into four degrees of autonomy:
  • Ship with automated processes and decision support (Degree one); 
  • Remotely controlled ships with seafarers on board (Degree two); 
  • Remotely controlled ships without seafarers on board (Degree three); 
  • Fully autonomous ship (Degree four);

India signed a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to strengthen Blue Port infrastructure in India.

• The partnership includes developing three pilot Smart and Integrated Fishing Harbours namely Vanakbara in Diu, Karaikal in Puducherry and Jakhau in Gujarat.

About the FAO Blue Ports Initiative 

• The Blue Ports Initiative promotes the transformation of marine and coastal areas into social, economic and environmentally sustainable zones, involving all relevant stakeholders.
  • It aims to help fishing ports become strategic platforms for local, national, and regional growth.

MOIL starts export of Manganese ore as State Trading Enterprise (STE)

• The Government of India has appointed MOIL as a STE for export of Manganese ore below 46% Mn grade from India.
• Manganese occurs as silvery grey in colour and is very hard and brittle in nature.
  • Odisha tops the total reserves/resources followed by Karnataka.
  • Madhya Pradesh is the leading producing State of manganese ore (2021-22).
• India’s surplus low-grade manganese ore exports hold major significance as India has surplus Mn ore of low grade fines.

Recently, Indian Metallurgical Coke Manufacturers Association (IMCOM) flagged the misuse of AAS 

• It alleged that the imported coking coal was being used for steel sold in the domestic market instead of exports.

About AAS

• Allows duty-free import of inputs that are physically incorporated in export products (including exports to SEZs) making exports competitive.
  • In addition, fuel, oil, and catalyst which are consumed in the process of production, may also be allowed.
• Administered By: Directorate General of Foreign Trade under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Puducherry becomes the first UT to achieve zero maternal mortality.

• Maternal mortality means death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration and site of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes.
• Key indicators of maternal mortality is the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR).
• SDG target: MMR of 70 per 100,000 live births. (India: 93 per 100,000 births)
  • Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Karnataka have already achieved SDG target.

The US administration said that it is withdrawing the sanctions waiver granted to Chabahar port in Iran, which is being developed by India.

• US had exempted the Chabahar port project from sanctions on Iran in 2018. 

About Chabahar Port

• Deep water port located on the Gulf of Oman, in Sistan-Baluchistan Province of Iran.
• It is closest Iranian port to India and it grants India access to landlocked Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries bypassing Pakistan.
• In, 2024, India signed a contract granting state-run India Ports Global Ltd (IPGL) the right to equip and operate the port for 10 years. 
• Additionally, it is part of proposed International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) connecting India to Europe, Russia, Central Asia etc.